Standard 1

Purpose and Direction

The school maintains and communicates a purpose and direction that commit to high expectations for learning as well as shared values and beliefs about teaching and learning.

    Indicator 1.1.

  • The school engages in a systematic, inclusive, and comprehensive process to review, revise, and communicate a school purpose for student success.

    Level 4 .

  • The process for review, revision, and communication of the school’s purpose is clearly documented, and a record of the use and results of the process is maintained. The process is formalized and implemented with fidelity on a regular schedule. The process includes participation by representatives selected at random from all stakeholder groups. The purpose statement clearly focuses on student success.

    Level 3 .

  • The school’s process for review, revision, and communication of the purpose statement is documented. The process is formalized and implemented on a regular schedule. The process includes participation by representatives from all stakeholder groups. The purpose statement focuses on student success.

    Level 2 .

  • The school has a process for review, revision, and communication of its purpose. The process has been implemented. The process includes participation by representatives from stakeholder groups. The purpose statement focuses primarily on student success.

    Level 1 .

  • No process to review, revise, or communicate a school purpose exists. Stakeholders are rarely asked for input regarding the purpose of the school.

Standard 1: Purpose and Direction

    Indicator 1.2.

  • The school leadership and staff commit to a culture that is based on shared values and beliefs about teaching and learning and supports challenging, equitable educational programs and learning experiences for all students that include achievement of learning, thinking, and life skills.

    Level 4 .

  • Commitment to shared values and beliefs about teaching and learning is clearly evident in documentation and decision making. This commitment is always reflected in communication among leaders and staff. Challenging educational programs and equitable learning experiences are implemented in a measurable way so that all students achieve learning, thinking, and life skills necessary for success. Evidence indicates a strong commitment to instructional practices that include active student engagement, a focus on depth of understanding, and the application of knowledge and skills. School leadership and staff hold one another accountable to high expectations for professional practice.

    Level 3 .

  • Commitment to shared values and beliefs about teaching and learning is evident in documentation and decision making. This commitment is regularly reflected in communication among leaders and staff. Challenging educational programs and equitable learning experiences are implemented so that all students achieve learning, thinking, and life skills necessary for success. Evidence indicates a commitment to instructional practices that include active student engagement, a focus on depth of understanding, and the application of knowledge and skills. School leadership and staff share high expectations for professional practice.

    Level 2 .

  • Commitment to shared values and beliefs about teaching and learning is sometimes evident in documentation. This commitment is sometimes reflected in communication among leaders and most staff. Some challenging educational programs and equitable learning experiences are implemented so that all students achieve some degree of learning, thinking, and life skills. Evidence indicates some commitment to instructional practices that include active student engagement, a focus on depth of understanding, and the application of knowledge and skills. School leadership maintains high expectations for professional practice.

    Level 1 .

  • Minimal or no evidence exists that indicates the culture of the school is based on shared values and beliefs about teaching and learning. Educational programs challenge few or no students and are provided in a way that few students achieve the learning, thinking, and life skills necessary for success. Learning experiences for students are rarely equitable. Instructional practices rarely include active student engagement, a focus on depth of understanding, and the application of knowledge and skills. Little or no commitment to high expectations for professional practice is evident.

Standard 1: Purpose and Direction

    Indicator 1.3.

  • The school’s leadership implements a continuous improvement process that provides clear direction for improving conditions that support student learning.

    Level 4 .

  • School leaders require the use of a documented, systematic continuous improvement process for improving student learning and the conditions that support learning. All stakeholder groups work collaboratively and consistently in authentic and meaningful ways that build and sustain ownership of the school’s purpose and direction. School personnel systematically maintain, use, and communicate a profile with current and comprehensive data on student and school performance. The profile contains thorough analyses of a broad range of data used to identify goals for the improvement of achievement and instruction that are aligned with the school’s purpose. All improvement goals have measurable performance targets. The process includes action planning that identifies measurable objectives, strategies, activities, resources, and timelines for achieving all improvement goals. School personnel hold one another accountable for and evaluate the overall quality of the implementation of all interventions and strategies. The process is reviewed and evaluated regularly. Documentation that the process is implemented with fidelity and yields improved student achievement and instruction is available and communicated to stakeholders.

    Level 3 .

  • School leaders implement a documented, systematic continuous improvement process for improving student learning and the conditions that support learning. All stakeholder groups are engaged in the process. School personnel maintain a profile with current and comprehensive data on student and school performance. The profile contains analyses of data used to identify goals for the improvement of achievement and instruction that are aligned with the school’s purpose. Improvement goals have measurable performance targets.

    The process includes action planning that identifies measurable objectives, strategies, activities, resources, and timelines for achieving improvement goals. School leaders hold all school personnel accountable for and evaluate the overall quality of the implementation of all interventions and strategies. The process is reviewed and evaluated. Documentation that the process yields improved student achievement and instruction is available and communicated to stakeholders.

    Level 2 .

  • School leaders implement a continuous improvement process for improving student learning and the conditions that support learning. Some stakeholder groups are engaged in the process. School personnel maintain a profile with data on student and school performance. The profile contains data used to identify goals for the improvement of achievement and instruction that are aligned with the school’s purpose. The process includes action planning that identifies measurable objectives, strategies, activities, resources, and timelines for achieving improvement goals. Most interventions and strategies are implemented with fidelity. Some documentation that the process yields improved student achievement and instruction is available.

    Level 1 .

  • A continuous improvement process for improving student learning and the conditions that support learning is used randomly and/or ineffectively. The profile is rarely updated or used by school personnel and contains little or no useful data. Goals selected for improvement, if they exist, reflect the minimum required by governmental or organizational oversight agencies. Few or no measurable objectives, strategies, or activities are implemented with fidelity. Documentation linking the process to improved student achievement and instruction is unclear or non-existent.